Prominent priest of the Catholic Jesuit order accused of abusing women

Vatican City: A prominent priest belonging to the Catholic Jesuit order has been accused of abusing several women. The case has once again drawn attention to how the Church sanctions offenders.

The incident took place in the early 1990s at a religious community in Ljubljana. Father Marko Rupnik allegedly inflicted sexual and psychological violence upon a number of women. The Vatican's ministry for the doctrine of faith said it could not put the priest on trial because the statute of limitations had expired, reported AFP.

The case first reported in the Italian media said the Jesuits sanctioned the priest to prevent him from hearing confessions. The order also revealed that Rupnik was found to have absolved someone for having sex with him (absolution of an accomplice in a sin against the sixth commandment). This is a serious crime in Church law due to which he was automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church in May 2020.

However, a Vatican decree lifted the excommunication later that month. Father Arturo Sosa, the Jesuit superior general, told the media that a person must acknowledge the fact and formally repent to remove the excommunication. "And Rupnik has done so."

The Jesuits have urged anyone with a complaint to come forward and promised to listen with "understanding and empathy." In an interview given to the Italian newspaper Domani, a 58-year-old religious woman claimed that Rupnik pressured her into having sex with him. She also believes that the priest was protected by the church. Her complaints since the 1990s have not been answered.

When asked about the Pope's involvement in the case, he said: "Before making the decision, I can imagine that the prefect of the dicastery spoke with the pope. That seems normal to me. But I cannot say yes or no. I do not have a direct channel with the pope."

The 68-year-old Slovenian priest is a famous mosaic artist and he has been a member of the Jesuits. He still maintains a consultative role in several departments in the Roman Curia, the government of the Vatican.